acrylic on canvas; 11x21x3.5″

“From the middle of 2018 until the end of 2021 I collected these images in an effort to understand them. They ornament the roadside with personal grief and are as public as a tree or the sky or any element of the landscape and I felt that ownership of the memorial was forfeited by the public placement. Some I observed frequently, I saw them tended with seasonal touches, I read of the tragedies of others. When the flowers were no longer changed with the seasons I wondered, when memorials were removed, I was appalled, and when they fell into disrepair or were overcome by weeds there was often a newer, more ornate one just down the road to indicate a fresher disaster. I have respect for those who install these remembrances in such dangerous places. They are not just memorials, but memories that may bring the peace of acceptance to those left behind as well as representing the injustice of a violent end.”

ARTIST BIO: Karen Prophet Tindall is a Northern Kentucky artist working primarily as a painter with an interest in record keeping and exploration of painting techniques. Her drive to document thru art is likely driven by her medical career which hinged on her accurate representation of events. Karen holds degrees in art, graphic design and occupational therapy and feels elements of each of these fields of study is reflected in her work.